The questions of the practical usage of the analytical scanning electron microscope JSM 600 LA by JEOL company (Japan) with EDS system - microanalysis for the studying of the ash elemental composition of seeds 9 breeds (Vegetable and Grain application) 4 species genus Amaranthus L. - A. hypochondriacus, A. cruentus, A. hybridus, A. caudatus, A. tricolor. Plant seeds by Federal center of vegetable production selection were envisaged. We studied the concentration of 14 basic elements (in weight %) contained in the mineral part of amaranth seeds. In the amaranth seeds of vegetable forms the accumulation order of the elements is the following: Ca >K >P >Mg >Si >Se >Fe >Mo ≈ S ≈ Cl ≈ Zn >Na >Al. In the seeds of the grain forms the order is different: К >P >Ca >Si >Se >Mg >Fe >Na >Mo >Cl ≈ S ≈ Mn ≈ Zn ≈ Al. The amaranth seeds of the grain forms are rich in macro - and microelements. P, K, Cl and S in the seeds of the grain forms are accumulated on 50, 37, 15 and 5% more and Si, Fe and Al in 2.6 and 1.8 times more than in the vegetable forms seeds. The breeds with the high concentration of the elements are recommended for using in the selection process. The elevated level of the essential macro- and microelements such as Ca, K, P, Mg, Mo, S and Cl stipulates the perspective of the functional products creation on the base of the studied amaranth seeds for the enrichment of the food stuffs.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate heterozygosis in cattle population, and to characterize White Fulani breed by identifying DNA markers considering microsatellites. A total of 41 cattle were randomly selected and used for sample (wool) collection for the characterization and identification of phenotypic traits of cattle in Nigeria. The DNA samples from the samples were prepared. Twelve microsatellite primers were used for the microsatellite analysis in the genomic DNA of cattle. The reinforced products were analyzed to determine polymorphic alleles and their frequencies. White Fulani is characterized by a high degree of genetic diversity. The microsatellites have multiple alleles and may show heterozygosity frequencies of at least 70%. White Fulani cows and their F1 descendants form a common cluster, to which the bulls of the Kuru and Red Boro breeds are adjacent. There is a clear differentiation of purebred populations of Tajik zebu-like cattle (Q = 98.7%) and a significant proportion of white Fulani (Q = 81.8%) from Nigeria. The microsatellite analysis of zebu of Nigeria allowed identifying a total of 80 alleles. In the KURU and PAX-KR-BOR rocks, 17 and 19 alleles were identified, respectively. In F1, 51 alleles were detected. White Fulani cattle are characterized by a high degree of genetic diversities. This makes it a highly informative source in genetic analysis. The results can be applied in dealing with the conservation and sustainable applications of genetic resources in the Nigerian cattle population.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has become a worldwide public health problem. Epimedin C is considered one of the most important flavonoids in Epimedium, a famous edible herb in China and Southeast Asia that is traditionally used in herbal medicine to treat diabetes. In the present study, the therapeutic potential of epimedin C against T2DM was ascertained using a mouse model, and the mechanism underlying the hypoglycemic activity of epimedin C was explored using a label-free proteomic technique for the first time. Levels of fasting blood glucose (FBG), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and oral glucose tolerance, as well as contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in the 30 mg·kg⁻¹ epimedin C group (EC30 group), were significantly lower than those in the model control group (MC group) (p < 0.05), while the contents of hepatic glycogen, insulin, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), as well as activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the EC30 group were notably higher than those in the MC group (p < 0.05). The structures of liver cells and tissues were greatly destroyed in the MC group, whereas the structures of cells and tissues were basically complete in the EC30 group, which were similar to those in the normal control group (NC group). A total of 92 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were enriched in the gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. In the EC30 vs. MC groups, the expression level of cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (Pck1) was down-regulated, while the expression levels of group XIIB secretory phospholipase A2-like protein (Pla2g12b), apolipoprotein B-100 (Apob), and cytochrome P450 4A14 (Cyp4a14) were up-regulated. According to the KEGG pathway assay, Pck1 participated in the gluconeogenesis and insulin signaling pathways, and Pla2g12b, Apob, and Cyp4a14 were the key proteins in the fat digestion and fatty acid degradation pathways. Pck1, Pla2g12b, Apob, and Cyp4a14 seemed to play important roles in the prevention and treatment of T2DM. In summary, epimedin C inhibited Pck1 expression to maintain FBG at a relatively stable level, promoted Pla2g12b, Apob, and Cyp4a14 expressions to alleviate liver lipotoxicity, and protected liver tissues and cells from oxidant stress possibly by its phenolic hydroxyl groups.

Study of rhizospheric microbial communities of plants growing under different environmental conditions is important for understanding the habitat-dependent formation of rhizosphere microbiomes. The rhizosphere bacterial communities of four amaranth cultivars were investigated in a laboratory pot experiment. Amaranthus tricolor cv. Valentina, A. cruentus cv. Dyuimovochka, and A. caudatus cvs. Bulava and Zelenaya Sosulka were grown for six months in three soils with different anthropogenic polyelemental anomalies and in a background control soil. After the plant cultivation, the rhizosphere soils were sampled and subjected to metagenomic analysis for the 16S rRNA gene. The results showed that the taxonomic structure of the amaranth rhizosphere microbiomes was represented by the dominant bacterial phyla Actinobacteriota and Proteobacteria. A feature of the taxonomic profile of the rhizobiomes of A. tricolor cv. Valentina and A. cruentus cv. Dyuimovochka was a large abundance of sequences related to Cyanobacteria. The formation of the amaranth rhizosphere microbiomes was largely unaffected by soils, but cultivar differences in the formation of the amaranth rhizosphere microbial structure were revealed. Bacterial taxa were identified that are possibly selected by amaranths and that may be important for plant adaptation to various habitat conditions. The targeted enrichment of the amaranth rhizosphere with members of these taxa could be useful for improving the efficacy of amaranth use for agricultural and remediation purposes.